A great couponing day!

Today was a great day of couponing! I love pairing a good sale with a good coupon. I stocked up on whole wheat pasta (free after coupon!), cereal, yogurt, nuts, and salad dressing. I love watching my food storage grow and knowing I could feed my family for a time if something bad happened. I get a bit of a natural high every time I can save 60% or more on my total grocery bill.

It was a year ago that I started using coupons. At first I thought coupons were stupid because most of the ones I saw were for things my family rarely ate - mainly processed food. When Mark's hours and wages at his old job were cut (a prelude to being let go), it became a necessity to make our budget work each month. I discovered that although I might not be able to use coupons on everything, there were plenty out there for the healthy things I like to have in my house, as well as for all the toiletries my family uses on a daily basis. I soon learned that I would never have to pay for toothpaste, pasta, or dental floss again if I used the right coupons paired with the right sale.

When Mark lost his job, having shelf fulls of things my family eats and uses regularly was a tremendous blessing. Although I am not as avid as some people I know, I can find good sales almost every week, even in my small town. I now love the hunt of a good sale to use with my coupons. I get four Sunday newspapers so I can have more coupons on hand for whenever a great sale rolls around. Couponing is fun!